Liquid fuel burner apparatus



March 6, 1945. D. c. 'BORTNER LIQUID FUEL BURNER APPARATUS Filed May1'7, 1944 Gttorueg,

Patented Mu. e, 1945' um'rso STATES, PATENT orrlcs moomroanlmmaaams I v2 David C. Bortner, Yorlr,"Pa., .aslignor 'YOII- Slllpley, Inc., York,Pt; a M of Delaware ' Application May 17, 1944, Serial No. 585,982

(01. Isa-2s) 8 Claims.

The present invention relates to burners for fluid fuels, such as gasand oil, wherein the fuel is delivered from a nozzle into a stream ofair and ignited by means of electrodes supported in close proximity tothe nozzle.

In burners of this type it is customary to provide a draft tube throughwhich air is forced for combustion of the fuel, the fuel pipe extendinglongitudinally through said tube with the nozzle located at the furnaceend thereof. There is also located within the tube an air.directing ordeflecting member having spirally arranged blades or vanes for impartinga whirling or gymtory motion to the forced air supply prior to itsmixture with the fuel at the nozzle, and electric means for igniting themixed air and fuel.

The primary object of this invention is to provide improved means formounting the igniting electrodes in the blades or vanes of the airdefleeting member.

Another object of the invention is to support the igniting electrodes inthe blades or vanes in such a manner that they do not affect orinterfere with the whirling or gyratory motion imparted to the air bycontact thereof with the air directing member.

A further object of the invention is-to clamp or lock the ignitingelectrodes in the vanes of the air deflector by means of a wedge-likemember positioned between two adjacent vanes; the ends of which areurged into binding contact with the electrodes.

A still further object of the invention is to provide means for lockingthe air deflecting member .to the fuel pipe simultaneously with thesecuring of the igniting electrodes in the deflecting vanes. v

Other objects and advantages of this invention will be apparent from thefollowing description of the embodiment of the invention illustrated inthe accompanying drawing in which:

ter having a nose piece It threadedly secured thereto as indicated at I.As is to be understood, the fuel pipe II is suitably supported at theend of the tube I2 opposite the nose piece 13, the same being preferablycarried in brackets or the like formed in the end of the tube l2 in amanner well known, whereby said fuel pipe is centrally positioned withinthe tube i2 in a relatively stationary inanner,

As before indicated, burners of this character usually include an airdirecting or deflecting member which functions to impart a whirling orgyratory motion to the air about the fuel nozzle whereby to insureuniform distribution of the air about the emerging spray of fuel. Inaccordance with'the present invention there is provided an air directingor deflecting member indi- Figure 1 is a plan view, partly in section,of the furnace end of a liquid fuel burner embodying thefeatures of thepresent invention.

Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken substantially on line 2-2 of Fig.l..

Fig. 3 is an elevational view, partly in section. of the wedge employedfor locking the electrodes in the air deflecting vanes.

Fig. 4 is a top plan view of the wedge shown in Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is a cross-sectional view through the wedge taken substantiallyon line 5-5 of Fig. 3.

Referring to the drawing for a more detailed description thereof, thefuel nozzle of a liquid fuel burner device is indicated by the referencenumeral it, which nozzle is threadedly secured to a fuel pipe H at thefurnace end thereof. The.

cated generally by the reference numeral-i5, the

same comprising a hub portion I! having a central aperture I 8 throughwhich the fuel pipe il extends. When initially positioning the member l5within the tube l2 it is readily slidable on the fuel pipe H untilproperly spaced from the nozzle Hi, the diameter of the central apertureI I being slightly greater than the outer diameter of the fuel pipe H topermit this slidable movement, as is seen from an inspection of Fig. 2of thedrawing. The member I5 is subsequently locked on the fuel pipe Iiin a manner to be hereinafter described. Radiating from the hub I1 isa-series of vanes or blades i9, 20, 2| and 22, having spiral surfaces toimpart the necessary whirling motion to the air being forced through thetube i2 and coming in contact with the vanes.

In the fabrication of the member I, each of the vanes 2| .and 22 isformed with a relatively large section 23 and 24 having a central bore25 and 26 respectively, for the reception of the igniting electrodeinsulators 21 and 28. The insulators 21 and 28 are freely movable in thebores 25 and 26 when initially assembling the device. and as willhereinafter appear, a means has been provided for clamping eachelectrode in its respective vane.

The high tension electrical igniting means for the burner includes apair of metal leads or busbars 29 which terminate adjacent the dischargeend of the nozzle ill, to provide an electric spark gap 30. The numerals21 and 28, as before indicated, designate a porcelain or similarinsulating medium for the leads 29 and it is this insulating portionwhich is supported within the air directing member l5. Current issupplied to the leads 29 in a manner well known in this art.

In accordance with the present invention, a meanshas been provided forreleasably retaining the insulators 2-1 and 28 within the vanes 2| and22 and, by referring more particularly to Fig. 2 of the drawing, it willbe noted that a portion of the hub l1 and vanes 2| and 22 is formed withan areuate-shaped slot 3| which communicates with the hub aperture l8.This slot 3| is adapted to have.'positioned therein an arcuate-shapedwedge-like member 32 having beveled ends 33 and 34 adapted to be forcedinto binding contact with the insulators 21 and'28. The member 32 isprovided with a-central threaded bore 35 for receiving an exteriorlythreaded locking screw 31. When desiring to clamp the insulators 21 and28 after they have' beenproperly spaced from the nozzle l and positionedwithin the vanes 2| and 22, the locking screw 31 is turned downwardlywithin the aperture 35 until contact is made with the fuel pipe II. Thisinitial contact of the locking screw with the fuel pipe will fasten themember IE on said fuel pipe to preclude further movement thereof.Further turning of the screw 37 into contact with the pipe H will raisethe arcuate-shaped member 32 until its ends 33 and 33 are brought intocontact with and securely clamp or bind the insulators 21 and 28 withintheir openings 25 and 26, respectively.

From the foregoing description when taken in connection with theaccompanying drawing, it will be readily apparent that a novel means hasbeen provided for adjustably supporting and clamping the electrodes ofan ignition system in the vanes of an air deflecting member whilesimultaneously locking the deflecting member on the fuel pipe. Whendesiring to remove the insulators 27 and 28 from the vanes 2| and 22,the

operation just described is reversed in that the screw 31 is moved outof the opening 35 permitting the arcuate-shaped member 32 to move awayfrom the electrodes 21 and 28. The relation of the member 32 and slot 3!is such that the former is capable of limited movement, it merely beingnecessary to screw the threaded member 31 downwardly through the opening35 until contact is made with the fuel pipe II and upon further movementof said screw the member 32 will be raised so that its ends 33 and 34will engage the insulator 21 and 28 in the manner previously described.

Other advantages of my improved apparatus will be readily apparent fromthe above description thereof. Obviously, variations in the nature andarrangement of the elements described will be evident to those skilledin this art, and this invention contemplates any equivalent structurewithin the scope of the following claims.

I claim:

1. In a liquid fuel burner of the class described, the combination witha fuel nozzle, and a fuel pipe extending to and supporting said nozzle,of

vanes for supporting an igniting electrode insu-.

lator, and means for clamping said electrode insulator in said aperturedenlarged portions and simultaneously clamping said air deflecting memberon said fuel pipe.

3. In a liquid fuel burner of the class described,

the combination with a fuel nozzle, and a fuel pipe extending.- to andsupporting said nozzle, of an air deflecting member and electrodesupport, said air deflecting member having a central hub portion fittingabout said fuel pipe, a series of vanes radiating from said hub portion,a pair of electrode insulators adjustably supported in certain of saidvanes, and a member including electrode insulator-engaging portions anda relative- 1y movable fuel pipe-engaging member disposed between saidvanes and said hub adapted to simultaneously clamp each of saidelectrode insulators in said certain varies and secure said hub on thefuel pipe.

4. In a' liquid fuel burner of the class described, the combination witha fuel nozzle, and a fuel pipe extending to and supporting said nozzle,of an air deflecting member and electrode support, said air deflectingmember having a central hub portion fitting about said fuel pipe, aseries of an air deflecting member and electrode support, 7

said air deflecting member having a central hub portion fitting aboutsaid fuel pipe, a series of vanes radiating from said hub portion, apair of electrode insulators adjustably supported in cer-v tain of saidvanes, and a single means comprising relatively movable parts forsecuring said air deflecting member on said fuel pipe and simultaneouslyclamping said electrodeinsulators in said certain vanes. 2. In a liquidfuel burner of the class described,

apertured enlarged portions in certain of said vanes radiating from saidhub portion, a pair of electrode insulators adjustably supported incertain of said vanes, and means disposed between said vanes and hubportion adapted to clamp said electrode insulators in said certainvanes, said means cooperating with said electrode insulators and saidfuel pipe to secure said deflecting member on said fuel pipe with theclamping of said electrodes.

5. In a liquid fuel burner of the class described, the combination witha fuel nozzle, and a fuel pipe extending to and supporting said nozzle,of an air deflecting member and electrode support, said air deflectingmember having a central hub portion fitting about said fuel pipe, aseries of vanes radiating from said hub portion, an electrode insulatorsupported in each of a pair of said vanes, said pair of vanes and hubportion being formed with a slot exposing a. ortion of said electrodeinsulators and a member positioned in said slot for clamping saidelectrode insulators in said pair of vanes.

6. In a liquid fuel burner of the class described, the combination withafuel nozzle, and a fuel pipe extending to and supporting said nozzle, ofan air deflecting member and electrode support, said air deflectingmember having a central hub portion fitting about said fuel pipe, aseries of vanes radiating from said hub portion, an electrode insulatorsupported in each of a pair of said vanes, said pair of vanes being eachprovided with a bore for adjustably receiving said electrode insulators,said pair of vanes and hub portion being also formed with anarcuate-shaped slot opening into said vane bores and exposing a portionof said fuel pipe and said electrode insulators, an arcuate-shapedmember within said slot having divergent ends which extend toward saidelectrode insulators, and a threaded clamping member carried by saidarcuate-shaped member adapted to be moved into contact with said fuelpipe for clamping said deflecting member thereto and simultaneouslyraising said arcuateshaped member to urge the ends thereof into clampingengagement with said electrode insulators.

DAVID C. BORTNER.

